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Qantas U23s and Qantas Young Socceroos training camp

Qantas Olyroos Head Coach Aurelio Vidmar and Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen today announced a joint 31-player squad that will go into a training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra from the 11th to 16th April 2011.

Qantas U23s Head Coach Aurelio Vidmar and Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen today announced a joint 31-player squad that will go into a training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra from the 11th to 16th April 2011.

The majority of this squad is drawn from the locally-based Hyundai A-League and National Youth League player ranks with two players from the Victorian Premier League and Hertha Berlin-s Ante Drazina as the only overseas based player in the squad.

This is the first of a series of training camps for Australian based players to prepare for the upcoming 2012 London Olympic Games Asian Qualifiers and FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011. The Qantas Olyroos will face Yemen in the second round of the 2012 London Olympic Games Asian Qualifiers on the 19th and 23rd June 2011 with the venues to be confirmed at a later date. The Qantas Young Socceroos will compete at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011 which commences on the 29th July with the final to be played on the 20th August.

Aurelio Vidmar is eager to work with this group of players now that the Qantas Olyroos opponent for their first stage in qualifiers is known.

“It-s great to get the players back together for the first time since September last year.

“This is the first of three vital camps for us to assess the status of all players and most importantly gauge their fitness levels since the conclusion of the Hyundai A-league season.

“We now know that we have a very challenging tie against Yemen in June and based on the information that we have gathered about our opposition we need to work on our own game plan accordingly.

Jan Versleijen is equally keen to get as much quality training time with his players with the start of the FIFA U-20 World Cup less than four months away.

“It-s important that we use all the possible time we have together positively to prepare for the upcoming tournament.

“The fact that the majority of players are out of season makes our task that little bit more difficult

“As per the competition regulations, we have to submit a preliminary list of 30 players in the next couple of months, so it-s up to the players to use this opportunity to prove that they should be in the final squad.

FFA Technical Director Han Berger believes that camps such as these are paramount to the success of our youth national teams.

“With the Hyundai A-League and National Youth League in recess, it is important that these players stay fit and sharp in the lead up to these very important competitions.

“We all also use this opportunity to have the players face each other competitively.

“In a similar vein to the recent camp we held in Europe, we have invited some players into this camp to identify talent and it will be up to the players to prove themselves against their peers.

Note:
To be eligible for the upcoming 2012 London Olympic Games players must be born on or after 1/1/1989, whilst to be eligible for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011 players must be born on or after 1/1/1991.